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RANT!! Blue Cross Blue Shield and Birth Center birth

sokomosokomo member
in Natural Birth
SOOOO.. my insurance is Blue Cross Blue Shield and they charge $500, if you don't get preauthorization for a hospital stay. I plan on giving birth at a Birth Center. When I first started going to the Birth Center for my prenatal care they checked with my insurer to make sure everything was covered (including L&D), and it is. I called this morning to get my preauthorization and they told me that my insurance doesn't cover L&D at a birth center. Then I got transferred. The next person told me the Birth Center I go to actually bills as a "freestanding surgical center," which IS covered by my insurance. I got put on hold and transferred about 1,000 times and was on the phone for 1.5 hours. I dealt with more stupidity then I even thought existed in the world. Why are these insurance companies so awful? Why doesn't anyone know how to do their job? Why did I have to explain 10 times to 10 different people that the "Birth Center" I'm going to IS covered by my insurance. THEY WORK FOR THE INSURANCE COMPANY, SHOULDN'T THEY KNOW THAT IT'S COVERED? X(

It all ended with me finally being preauthorized - and I hope that the incompetent jerk who did the preauthorization actually did it right. I have no faith now that anything is going to go smoothly and I'm so worried that I'll be slapped with a massive medical bill after I deliver, even though I've done everything I'm supposed to do.

Anyone else have nightmare insurance stories they'd like to share?
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Re: RANT!! Blue Cross Blue Shield and Birth Center birth

  • RissKayRissKay member
    If they try to slap a bill on you, give them the timestamp of your calls to them to get preauthorization. If nothing else, they should have records of you speaking to people in the departments and records of your calls. They always say the calls are monitored when I call, so maybe it'll be on record? GL!

    Not birth related, but we just recently had to have my DS care lifted to the children's hospital here after a grand mal seizure. He seized for 5 minutes, and passed out for 20. They took my insurance info, and I'm pretty sure they called, but when you're (1) pregnant, (2) your child is seizing for the first time ever, (3) crying, you don't exactly think to call and get preauthorization for an air ambulance. 

    Now they're saying that we could get slapped with the $33k bill since we didn't get preauth, but since I didn't know I was supposed to I could appeal it. Ugh. We do NOT have that kind of cash just laying around! 
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  • sokomosokomo member
    Oh no @RissKay! I am so sorry to hear that happened to you and your son. So terrifying - I can't even imagine. I hope the little guy is okay.. :(

    This whole preauthorization thing makes no sense to me. Like.. you're supposed to do it when you KNOW you're going to be staying in a hospital (or somewhere for inpatient care) but it sounds like in your case this was an EMERGENCY. Why would you have to get preauthorization for that?!?

    I hope everything works out for you. Best of luck!
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  • MalonbMalonb member
    Yikes! I have this insurance. I'm only 9 weeks but i already had to dish out almost $600 for my first ultrasound(for this specifically). :\ Fortunately i'll be changing insurance to my husband's when i quit in about a month so hopefully will go smoother. I'm totally not impressed with it. 
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  • DontMakeMeAdult0903DontMakeMeAdult0903 member
    @sokomo that sucks! I also have BCBS and I'm going to a birth center.  Guess I'll make the dreaded call tomorrow. 


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  • Cornstarch7Cornstarch7 member
    I was having the same issue finding out if an in hospital water birth was covered through them as well. Turns out the hospital just bills it as a vaginal birth so I'm good, however when I called I was on hold for over an hour and even the supervisor couldn't give me any information and just kept saying "whatever is medically necessary," is covered, without being able to elaborate on what that meant at all. Then she said she'd have the "research" team call me back. It's been two weeks and I haven't heard anything. Big surprise.
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